The Ghost Child
by Crimson613
Summary: [hide&kane] Hide moves back to Japan and ends up meeting a ghost child
1. Chapter 1

Hide could feel something following him, a presence perhaps, ever since he moved back to Tokyo.

He was sure that nobody was actually there though because he'd looked into every room and every cabinet and every little space that could possibly hold life in his new home and nothing popped up. Not even a critter. Today marked the first week of constant glances behind him, of slightly shifted items in his house, and muttering during the night. He'd actually thought the muttering came from his next-door neighbor but when he asked about them, he'd learned he was the only inhabitant on the second floor.

"I can't do this anymore!" he exclaimed, pushing away his blankets.

Contrary to popular belief, vampires did have fears, and his was not knowing what was going on.

He reached over to his bedside table to grab his phone. Touka had to know _something_ , after all, she had been the one who set him up at this apartment.

"What do you want Nagachika," came her curt voice after the third ring.

"Ahh~ is that any way to talk with your resident vampire?" he teased, a grin easily wiping away the frustration he felt. If there was one thing he loved more than getting a fill of delicious blood, it was probably getting a rise out of the stoic and beautiful Touka.

"You do realize it's 2AM don't you?" there was shuffling on the other end and Hide could just imagine Touka reaching out for something on her bedside table. Probably those sleeping pills she took in order to sleep at night.

"About that..." he paused, not quite sure how to phrase his question, "you wouldn't happen to know of any...there aren't any...I mean, I know there's probably other creatures out in the world since I'm a vampire and all-"

"Just spit it out!"

Hide gulped and lowered his voice. He even cupped the phone closer to him, "Is my house...haunted?"

Silence answered him.

"It is isn't it!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms and using his shoulder to cradle his phone, "why didn't you tell me?"

"Look, it's not a big deal, you're a vampire, whatever is there isn't going to hurt you. Probably can't touch-"

"It's a bit late Touka, thanks a bunch but I gotta go now!"

"Hide, wait, don't just-"

And Hide hung up the phone. He was 100% sure Touka was going to make him pay for it later but at this point he didn't care. A ghost in his house? He had to find it! Find out who they were, why they were here, what did they eat...actually, did ghosts eat? What had they been mumbling about? Hide had heard it a couple times but had never actually paid attention to the words, more preoccupied with shutting the sounds off. Could they really not touch anything?

He had so many questions!

.

.

.

Ken watched as the strange man who now lived in his home ran around his room grabbing clothes. It looked like he was in a hurry but that only confused him. It was still dark outside and he knew nothing was open. His mom did say all the shops closed at 9 at night and opened when the sun came up. But then, this person was strange from the very first time Ken had seen him.

He didn't eat food like Ken remembered doing when he woke up in the mornings or when he came back from school. The man also put on makeup before going out sometimes. Not a lot but enough to change the way he looked. Without the makeup, he looked a bit sick but when he used the little powders, a bit of color came back to his skin. Honestly, Ken liked how the man looked without the makeup. It made him look a little more like he did, someone without color. He raised his hand to his face and could still see the man moving around his room.

A backpack, his wallet, some money.

That's when the man turned around quickly but Ken was quicker. He merged back into the wall where he had been hiding and waited until he heard movement again. He peered into the room only to hear the man whistling a happy tune. They had also been playing this game for a week now. Ken wasn't sure why he hid from the man but he naturally did it and so continued to do so. He shook his head. No, that wasn't entirely true...

"I'll be back later Mr. Ghost!"

Ken smiled a little and whispered, "Ok"

.

.

.

Now that Hide knew that there was a ghost in his house, he felt more at ease. Sure, he had so many questions and knew next to nothing about ghosts but that's where his late night visit to campus had been for. He fished for the keys in his pocket, balancing a precarious amount of books in one hand and a grocery bag in another. He wasn't technically allowed in the university until the next semester but breaking into colleges was one of the easiest things in the world!

"I'm home!" he exclaimed as he entered. Again, nobody responded but Hide liked to think the ghost heard him and acknowledged him.

He deposited all the books in his hands on the living room table, unpacked all the others in his bag, and left the grocery bag on the floor. He had picked out some books on both vampires and ghosts. Since he didn't know about his little transparent friend, chances were they didn't know about him either. Especially if he was confined to this apartment. He made a mental note to ask about how far they could travel.

As he was laying out the books he felt the presence again but this time, he resisted the urge to turn towards them. Instead, he started to speak, "Hey, Mr. Ghost...I went to the library to check out some books after my friend told me you were here. You're actually the first ghost I've ever encountered, which is saying a lot because I'm really old, hmm, though maybe you are too. Do ghosts live a long time? Anyways, I thought we could be friends and just get to know each other, what do you say?"

It was still quiet and Hide briefly wondered if ghosts could even hear...that would actually be a problem, would they know sign language? Maybe they could both learn it and-

Hide smiled at the transparent figure peering out at him from behind the little TV he'd bought ages ago.

"I knew we'd finally meet!" he exclaimed and then promptly coughed, apologizing, "uh, sorry, I'm...naturally loud."

The ghost that had nearly disappeared into his wall appeared again and Hide could see that it was only a child. He blinked, weren't ghosts people who died and couldn't pass on? Did that mean this child had died at, what, age ten or something? His brows wrinkled slightly at the thought.

"Come on, sit over here, I won't bite..." _or can't bite you at least,_ Hide thought.

The child seemed to ponder his invitation but Hide knew he'd won when those grey eyes moved to the pile of books and slightly sparkled? Did ghost eyes sparkle? He wasn't sure but he'd seen interest in them! The boy floated over and knelt before the table on Hide's opposite side.

"There we are! That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Hide grinned, "By the way, I'm Hideyoshi Nagachika but you can call me Hide!"

The ghost boy nodded slightly, "I'm...my name is...Ken..."

Hide waited a second longer, wondering if he'd get the rest of his name but when nothing escaped those small lips he just smiled, "That's a great name! Hey, do you like to read?"

The boy nodded shyly and if he weren't a ghost (and therefore monochrome), Hide was sure he'd be sporting a blush.

"That's good because I brought us some books to look at about ghosts-" he noticed the boy flinch slightly "-and vampires, oh I'm a vampire but don't worry! I'm not like the ones you hear about in myths or anything," he quickly assured the boy. He scratched his cheek, "well, not entirely at least."

.

.

.

Ken listened to the man - Hide - talk while he skimmed through the books he'd brought back. A couple of them were harder to follow, courtesy of him being a child, but others he was able to read without problems. He wasn't sure he liked the facts that were written about his state of...unliving, and more so about vampires! Part of him was glad that he couldn't be touched because as much as Hide was nice and smiled big and had a bright mop of hair...if he were like the big fanged creatures that tore at people's throats...well, Ken didn't want to end up like those people! Coming back like mindless zombies.

Something must have shown on his face because Hide began to laugh. It was loud like everything else about him and Ken felt a bit anxious, had he done something wrong?

"Come on Ken, don't go, just, the look on your face," he grinned, "I guess I haven't seen someone look at me like that in a while."

Ken wondered if that was because people didn't know he was a vampire or (he shuddered) because people didn't even get the chance to...

"Ok, how about this, why don't we stop reading these because honestly, they're a load of bull, dying from light exposure and stakes through the heart? Our heart is dead, why would it matter if you pierce it or not?" Hide shook his head dramatically as he placed a pale hand to his chest, "And instead we tell each other the real facts? How does that sound?"

Ken watched those brown eyes smile at him. It was nothing sinister either. All Ken could see was curiosity and lightheartedness. He remembered his mother's words about not trusting strangers because they always had ulterior motives, but this vampire...he didn't seem so bad to him.

He smiled back, "OK"


	2. Chapter 2

_Ghosts are colorless. We come back all transparent, we lose the colors we had._

 _I guess it makes it easier for people not to see us._

It had been a week since Hide had first spoken to Ken and two since the two of them started living together (even if he hadn't been fully aware of the other's presence yet). In just the small talk they'd had on their first meeting, Hide knew he wanted to do something for Ken. He wasn't really sure if helping him 'move on' was even a good thing or an option in their current relationship but that was fine. Hide liked to start small and by that he meant big where it counted.

"Hey Ken, I'm back!" he closed the door to his apartment and shuffled around the entrance before coming to move to the living room. The small ghost 'sat' near the table that was stacked with the books he'd checked out a week ago. While the information in them was more myth than fact, it seemed that Ken really enjoyed sifting through them.

"Welcome back," came his muffled response. Hide pouted.

"Come oooooon Ken, look I got you a present!" Hide exclaimed as he finally righted the furniture he'd walked in with.

That seemed to catch Ken's attention as the little ghost turned to look. His eyes grew wide and the book that had been open lay abandoned as he floated over. His little hands ghosted over the surface of the bookshelf Hide had just brought home.

"This is...for me?" he asked, wonder clear in his voice.

"Of course!" was Hide's enthusiastic reply, "And guess what? We're going to fill it together!"

They were both surprised to see the tears and snot that covered Ken's face that evening.

.

.

.

 _W-What are you doing?!_

 _Oh, no we can't touch anything by physically reaching out but...we can...move things - small things! - with our minds._

It had been two days now since Hide had gotten sick. Two days since Ken hadn't seen that smile at its full capacity and two days since he'd been worried sick. He didn't know that vampires could get sick like normal people! He tried to remember the things his mother made him when he was sick but nothing helped. Hide wouldn't eat any soup because he drank blood, medicine didn't work on him like normal humans even if he took a larger dose, he couldn't have a fever but maybe an infection was possible? He was undead after all

Ken also knew he was cold and didn't need a body to know it. He could feel it in the atmosphere and every groan of pain that escaped the blonde made him more anxious. How could he help Hide? How could he help his new friend?!

A sound caught his attention and an idea came to mind. A friend. Hide always talked to someone on the phone, maybe they could help!

The small device was ringing and hidden somewhere under the covers. Ken frowned and moved the sheets, pulling them from Hide's tangled legs. The phone clattered to the floor and Ken moved to hover over the end of the table. He brought the phone closer to Hide and flipped it open.

"Nagachika!" an angry voice called out and Ken wondered if maybe he had been wrong, "Do you realize you're overdue for your checkup?! You were supposed to come by almost a week ago! Hey, are you listening?"

Checkup?

The voice brought Hide to his senses a bit as he opened an eye and rasped out, "T-Touka?"

Ken couldn't help staring at Hide's eye. It was no longer brown, it didn't carry warmth, and it was zeroed in on him. It was completely red and the whites had turned black. There also seemed to be some kind of strain happening as veins popped from around his eye. Was Hide really ok?

A muffled curse came from the phone, "Look, I'm heading over there. Do not go out, ok? God, you are such a pain!"

Ken nodded as if the person were speaking to him but his gaze was still transfixed with the blonde.

The cell phone clattered to the ground once more.

.

.

.

 _P-Pain? Well, no, no. It's hard for us to feel things like that when we don't have a physical body, you know?_

"I'm home," Hide called out of habit, a huge grin on his face. Nobody answered him, just like he thought, but he knew he'd been heard.

A small gasp came from his human guest, "Hide, you live with someone?" she peered around him but the apartment was empty. Nobody came to greet them and she saw no evidence of another occupant.

"Ignore him Yoriko," Touka said, moving ahead of Hide and pulling her along. They settled into his living room.

"I would have if Touka hadn't shot me down when I moved back here," he sang, "Do you guys want anything to drink? I have...coffee, some tea, aaaaand huh, that's weird. I could have sworn I'd gotten something else, your choice?"

"Coffee," Touka answered.

"Me too!" was Yoriko's exuberant reply. She even raised her hand as if she were in class, her shoulder bumping into Touka's.

It took him a few minutes to prepare everyone's drinks but when he finished he quickly moved to the living room. He smiled at his two friends. Yoriko was sitting close to Touka, explaining the assignment the professor had assigned, and Touka had one of those rare smiles Hide loved seeing on her. It made him feel a tad bad for having to break their moment, but then he remembered Touka forced him to take this morning class so it went away fairly quickly.

"So, about the project," he started and Yoriko giggled.

"That's what you get for not coming to class two days in a row Mister!"

"Ahh, you got me there," he chuckled as he pulled out his school books and notebooks. He scratched his face nervously, "Guess my cold was worse than I thought, I'm really glad Touka was around when I needed her."

"She is reliable isn't she?" Yoriko smiled. She'd always been proud to have Touka as a friend and this was one of the many reasons why.

"Are you two going to just laugh and giggle all day?" Touka scowled, embarrassment clear in her voice.

"Ok, ok," Yoriko and Hide replied simultaneously and then burst out laughing.

.

It had been a couple hours now since Hide had come home but Ken was afraid of making any kind of appearance. Hide had told him about Yoriko, a really close friend of Touka's and how she wasn't aware of creatures like them. He'd apologized about their time being cut short and Ken had only smiled, saying it was ok. And he'd really meant it when Hide told him about their study session. Of course, seeing the three of them now, laughing and joking around made him...sad.

He was happy because Hide was having fun and was healthy again but something he'd always wanted was before him now. When he was still alive he hadn't connected well with other children and he often found himself reading by himself in the library or sitting by the lake while others played by the playground. His mother had only smiled at him, comforting and warm, saying it would be different in college. He'd find people who were like him, that shared the same hobbies, and he'd be able to open up more.

"Hey pal," Hide whispered. Ken blinked, not having realized he'd floated over towards his friend. He panicked, he wasn't supposed to be seen!

"If you stay back here she won't notice," Hide was quick to stop his escape, moving his hand to muffle his voice.

"Is it really ok?" Ken whispered

"Mhm~"

Ken nodded and stayed there, right behind Hide. He watched as they worked, could see the yawns that tried to escape him, and the way Touka would glance over every few seconds before completely ignoring them. They all continued doing their work and Ken wondered if maybe it was ok to stay there and pretend he was part of their little group.

.

.

.

 _I guess you can say we eat...though absorb would be a better way to say it._

 _It just happens but I've never heard of ghosts absorbing from vampires so maybe it won't affect you_

Hide clenched his jaw and rubbed his mouth. It looked like he was teething again, but he wasn't sure why it was happening so soon. It hadn't even been a month since his last checkup yet!

"Hide, are you okay?" Ken called out from the other side of his door.

"Yeah, I'm good, just give me a second," he called back. Maybe running from his room to the bathroom when he noticed the pain and bolting the door hadn't been a great idea. He sighed, reaching for his phone only to realize it wasn't in his pocket.

He opened his mouth again and noticed his incisors growing slightly. He'd need to head over to Anteiku soon. He sighed. Well, he couldn't do anything about it trapped in his bathroom.

"Hide?" and of course he'd worried Ken! He internally groaned.

"Hey pal, don't worry, just thought I was leaking," It was a terrible lie and Ken scrunched up his nose.

"Leaking?"

Hide scratched his cheek, "Yeah like, you know when you bite yourself and you start bleeding?-" Ken nodded, "-well it's bad if vampires do that because even if I lick up the blood it's no good. It'd be like drinking my own blood and that's not very nutritious for vampires."

Ken's face lit up at the information and he nodded quickly. Hide couldn't help but chuckle at his expression.

"Now come on, where did we leave off?"

Instead of answering him, Ken questioned, "Hide, since we're talking about vampires...why are your teeth bigger? Are you hungry?"

Hide almost tripped and laughed nervously, "Oh uhm, about that..." _I guess he's more observant than I gave him credit for_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _I've never tried leaving so I don't know, I'm sorry..._

It was almost the end of the semester and Hide had learned a few things about Kaneki. First, he'd died nearly 100 years ago and for some reason, he didn't know his surname. Hide had assumed Ken hadn't told him because he was wary about sharing information but there were other things that didn't add up. Such as how he'd say he was an only child but then put his hand up to his chin. It was such a simple thing that if Ken hadn't accidentally broken a vase once and tried to hide it, Hide wouldn't have noticed the little quirk. It could mean he was lying or that he didn't remember.

Hide liked to think they were close enough now that Ken wouldn't feel the need to lie about his past life.

But he might have been assuming too much, "Hey Ken! Where are youuuuu?"

When he'd woken up he'd noticed something off about his home. It didn't have that presence he was so accustomed to feeling. He was sure the feeling had been his because he'd find Ken's face hovering over his own day after day, as if willing him to wake up sooner so they could hang out, but there was something different about today. He raked his hand through his hair, making it messier than before.

His home felt...empty.

"Come on Ken, if you're angry about yesterday I'm really sorry! I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted something else."

Touka had picked up some books that seemed to hold legitimate information on ghosts and Hide had drank in everything he could. It listed all the things Ken had told him - ghosts are transparent, they absorbed life energy, they could only be heard by a few but seen by many - and it told him about moving on.

"Look, I really like having you around so don't think I was trying to run you out," he knew it was futile to search around for his friend because he could walk through walls and hide inside them but sitting around doing nothing made him anxious. He took out his phone and dialed the only number on it.

It took three rings before Touka answered, "Hey, what is it?"

"He's gone," he groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand, "I think I ran him out,"

"Who? Your ghost friend?"

"Yes, Touka, my ghost friend. By the way, his name is Ken."

"Someone's in a bad mood, are you sure he's gone? What happened?"

Hide told her about their conversation the night before, how he'd seen those eyes dart around like he'd been corralled, how his hand had been almost permanently fixed to his face, how Ken had tried to change the subject more than once but Hide had been so persistent! And how had he not noticed all the signs?! What kind of a friend was he?

"What if he finally moved on? You do realize that's not a bad thing," Touka's voice had turned comforting.

"If I knew that were the case I wouldn't be so worried, but..." he took a breath, "I don't think he knows how to. If it's how the book describes it...he's just a kid Touka, what if he doesn't find the way back?"

Silence engulfed them for a few seconds.

"You just have to believe in him."

Hide laughed quietly, "I do believe, he's so smart and so kind but I'm also scared for him. He gets scared of the simplest things you know?"


	3. OMAKE

**OMAKE**

Hide checked his phone again, wondering when the bus would be coming by. The schedule said it should have come by nearly 20 minutes ago and he knew he hadn't missed it because he'd been waiting for nearly an hour. He wondered if maybe he _would_ have to climb the mountains himself like he'd joked to Touka. He sighed.

A honk made him snap his phone shut and he turned to the road to see a small bus coming up the slope. It slowly came to a stop in front of him and the driver came out, apologies spilling from his lips.

"Nah, it's fine! I'm not in much of a hurry anyways," he smiled cheerily.

He quickly texted Touka and helped the driver load his stuff in the back. People had noticed he wasn't aging back home and that was a sure sign he needed to leave soon. He didn't really fancy leaving Japan again so instead, he decided to find a quiet place out in the country. Yoshimura had told him an old friend lived out here, someone named Yomo, who would help him hunt if he needed. Hide had offered Touka some space in his new home but she'd refused, _I want to stay a bit longer..._

Yoshimura and him had exchanged understanding looks.

He inhaled deeply. The country was different but it had its own advantages.

"Are you from the city?" the driver asked as he sat down.

"Me? Yeah," Hide answered, his usual cheeriness not really present.

"Well, if you're having any trouble getting accustomed, everyone is pretty close knit so feel free to ask anyone for help! A lot of people who come live out here probably feel alone, having to learn so many new things but it's really great, really wish more young people came out here," the driver rambled and Hide couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm.

"Yeah! Hey, do you know someone named Yomo? My family told me to contact him once I got in."

"Yomo?" the driver chuckled quietly, "It'd be a wonder if you didn't know him! In a way he's pretty much in charge of the village. Oh, I need to make a small stop, is that fine?"

Curious, Hide nodded. The bus came to a stop and the doors opened.

 _Oh no,_ Hide thought as a sweet smell entered the bus. His eyes closed and he inhaled, loving the way the scent calmed him and excited him. A quiet voice thanked the driver and Hide opened his eyes. A boy around college age stopped before him and they both just stared.

 _Hide...are we friends now?_

The boy nodded at Hide and mumbled a quiet hello before moving to the back of the bus. Hide felt frozen for a second but then he turned around to find the boy opening a book. He grinned, got up from his seat, and moved towards the back of the bus.

"Hey!" Hide exclaimed, "My name is Hideyoshi Nagachika but you can call me Hide, I'm just moving out here today, want to be friends? What's your name?"

The boy seemed surprised but then smiled shyly, "Kaneki, my name is Ken Kaneki. Nice to meet you Hide"

* * *

 **A/N: hope you guys enjoyed it~~ Wrote this for the Writeoween prompt vampire and ghost :)**


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